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Wednesday, 18 May 2016

Absolution provides a strong and multi-layered finale to what has been an incredible season.

Instantly, we are right in the middle of Shield's plan to defeating Hive. Shield and the Inhumans finally worked together to momentarily stop the warhead and contain Hive.

I really loved the layers and little twists to this story. The use of the jacket and necklace being laced around to keep us guessing who the fallen agent was very a literal way to keep us engaged.

Also, I think that Daisy's battle with the guilt and pain she feels was a way to keep her separate from the mission and I liked seeing the tormented side to her. It makes her decision to fulfill her so called destiny as a way of fixing her mistake.

Hive has been one of the most complex villains the show has had, as he believes that turning every human into primitives is somehow peace, which is kind if disturbing. It was a nice progression of events to see him experience all of his victims memories at once.

The siege of the base was a perilously tense and dramatic aspect to the finale as it allowed the team to be separated and it emphasized the terror of the primitives.

Daisy asking Hive to infect her again gave me a new perspective on their connection as I'd never seen the infection being an addiction before. The fight between them was really dynamic, directed really creatively and was gripping. I could really see the desperation on Daisy's face.

I wasn't too sure who the fallen agent would be at first as I thought that Daisy sacrificing herself would have been too predictable and it certainly wouldn't have made sense for Mack to fall.

Therefore, I think it was the most logical and satisfying end to the season that Lincoln was the one to sacrifice himself. I wasn't really invested into his death in an emotional way but seeing him and Hive float contentedly that they were about to die was a moving sequence.

Fast forward six months later, Daisy is now Quake and got a cool makeover, Fitz is working with Ratcliff and Coulson has stepped down as Director. Maybe we'll see May sitting in the Director's chair in season four?

Season 3 has been full of new allies, aliens, farewells, reunions, deaths and major character developments. With Daisy now rogue and the team having a whole new dynamic, I look forward to fresh and engaging stories in season four!

Wednesday, 11 May 2016

It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to collectively bring the whole season to a tipping point, with a great twist and some old snippets from old episodes, making a prominent figure in the conclusion of this episode.

Hive's plan falls into place as Daisy is drained of blood. General Talbot gets a better understanding of what is actually happening with Hive as well as his persuasive action for the Inhumans to register, being a significant asset to the episode.

Daisy continued to lie in order to do Hive's will as she tricks Lincoln into coming to her. However, a sneaky plan was in operation as Lincoln that escaped is revealed to be Lash.

Lincoln believed that Lash was meant to kill Hive but in actual fact, he was meant to save Daisy by removing the infectious parasites from her brain. There was certainly a feeling of disappointment that Lash died, but the emotional impact just wasn't there.

I think there was a lot of mini fights going on which I think prevented this episode from feeling tense or gripping. The energy felt quite weak and after a while, I did find Talbot to be quite annoying as he kept on rubbing his head and his naivety made the pace feel slow.

However, I enjoyed seeing Hive's experiment take a new turn as the Watchdogs were turned into primitive Inhumans. Ratcliff is becoming a bit of a sour character too. Just stick up for yourself!

The resolution was enticing as Fitz revealed that Hive could turn a large population of the human race into the primitive Inhumans. I forgot about the warhead that he had collected earlier in the season, so it was nice to see those threads tied up.

The third installment to the Captain America franchise is an explosion of action, tense and gripping emotional scenes and an accumulation of superheroes to make you salivate like a Newfoundland dog!

When I saw this film, I admit I had some quibbles and I wasn't that sure why at first. To me, it didn't feel like a Captain America movie because Iron Man featured so heavily in the narrative.

However, after some serious thought, I have come to the conclusion that I was in initial shock at Steve's actions. But that is a very positive and vital aspect that the film explores.

Captain America has always been the most reliable and morally confident out of the Avengers and that's why he's one of my favourite heroes.

Except that he couldn't stay in the same place. He always have the same morals and beliefs that resided in the 1940's period. He had to show more flaws and layers.

This is what Civil War captures and channels brilliantly. The groundwork being that the new Avengers cause more damage but save the day and the government wants them and all super-powered individuals to be registered so that they work on a limited amount of power.

At first, I sided with Captain America as I didn't believe that any superhero should be tied down to the government or have to reveal their identities. Then as the film went on, I saw Iron Man's views and began to think that maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the superheroes working within limits that would ensure precision in their outcomes.

But then, towards the end I changed my mind again when I saw most of the Avengers locked up because they stood up for their rights. I think to a degree if any superhero wanted to register then they should be able to but if others believe they should remain in the shadows, then that should be their choice also.

There was certainly a lot of multiple threads in this film and I didn't quite understand why Cap had such a dedication to his friend- Bucky.

I know that Bucky couldn't control what happened to him but to cause so much chaos just so that he could be frozen. It confused me a little. Also, when Bucky was revealed to be the assassin who killed Iron Man's parents, and Cap knew about it! I was very shocked at Cap's betrayal.

I certainly felt quite disappointed in Cap about his decision making. But these decisions and choices that Cap made in this film is exactly why it succeeds. Finally, we saw a hero who isn't a hero in retrospect.

He has done terrible things himself and put a lot of people's lives at risk to save his friend. I think Cap has always tried to do his best but that doesn't make him a hero, it makes him someone trying to do the best he can.

All of these heroes we have to come to know are so full of flaws which was evident here. Iron Man became quite hypocritical when he broke his own law to help Cap out.

I would've liked to have seen more of Black Widow as I feel like she was used more as sparring unity between Cap and Iron Man.

More so, I really loved Tom Holland as Spider-Man! He brings a lot of youth, an adorable intelligence but teenage embarrassment and verbal cues, 'You have a metal arm, that is so cool, dude'! being one of them.

Lest we not forget- the funeral of Peggy Carter! I was quite disappointed that she wasn't given more of a send-off. Peggy is such a formidable an important character to Cap and the Marvel universe.

To see that her last outing lasts for only a few minutes and receives a couple of words from her niece- Sharon Carter felt like she wasn't given the time she deserved. It felt like because she has such a strong connection with Steve that they had to feature her death in the film. But I don't think they should have used it for just that reason.

Overall, Civil War achieves some groundbreaking character development for all characters involved. Cap almost killed Iron Man and vice versa. The whole of the Avengers are either fugitives or feeling betrayed or lost.

The actions scene were mind-blowing, tense and brutal. Black Panther's introduction was definitely a highlight. I really think his history is really interesting and a great contrast for the Marvel universe to explore.

Who knows where this leaves the Avengers, but they're going to have to work out their differences if they are to defeat Thanos in infinity war!

Wednesday, 4 May 2016

As we gear up for the two hour finale, Failed Experiments reveals Hive's plan to turn humans into Inhumans and we finally see the Kree make their way to Earth.

I really liked seeing how Hive became an Inhuman and that they shows how the whole Inhuman history began, all those generations ago.

Firstly, I felt like Lincoln volunteering to be a host for the possible cure was just something to give his character something to do as I can't see him becoming a committed Shield agent after this season.

I did think that the explanation in the lab scenes with Radcliff went on for too long and didn't add much to the story.

He doesn't seem like he has much depth to him as his whole existence seems to be revolving around Daisy and there's no proof that he even loves her.

Additionally, I'm still very much compelled with how Daisy is evolving under Hive's infection. There is a complex notion to her character now as she wants to make her team mates understand by making them Inhumans.

I liked that there was a slice of comedy with May going undercover when trying to get information from Annihilation. I think using Mack as a catalyst to show that Daisy cannot be helped but needs to be stopped. I couldn't believe she was actually going to kill Mack!

The Kree reapers were an impressive addition and it really cemented the connection between this universe and the films. Their alien technology looked really cool.

I completely forgot that Daisy had Kree blood running through her and I thought this was a solid end to the episode.